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Friday, December 31, 2010

GROWING UP AS A KID, WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE PETS. SEVERAL TIMES I HAD STRAY DOGS “FOLLOW” ME HOME ON MY PAPER ROUTE, ONLY TO HAVE THEM TURNED AWAY AT THE DOOR BY MOM. UNCLE HANS WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE SUCCESSFUL, AND HAD A PET PARAKEET BIRD, NAMED PENNY.

I HADN’T EVEN GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE AND BEGAN MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME. THE “OD” USED TO SAY THAT HEIDI, THE MINATURE DACHUND, HAD A BA DEGREE FROM LUTHER COLLEGE. SO THE PET PARADE WITH MY KIDS BEGAN, HAMSTERS, HOMING PIGIONS, GOATS, DOGS, CATS, AND HORSES. CATS WERE MY LEAST FAVORITE, BUT PAULIE ALWAYS HAD TO HAVE ONE AROUND, DOGS WERE MY CHOICE.

IN THE “HAPPY CAMPER” RV LIFE STYLE WE WENT TEN YEARS WITHOUT A PET. I GREW TO HATE THOSE YAPPY LITTLE RV DOGS THAT MOST CAMPERS HAVE.

OUR FIRST SUMMER AT WATERFALL MOUNTAIN AND THE MOUSE WARS BEGAN. MARY ISN’T A PET PERSON, AND ON A WHIM IN VEGAS ONE DAY WHEN I SUGGESTED A CAT AS A WEAPON IN THE MOUSE WARS I WAS SURPRISED TO HAVE MARY AGREE TO THE IDEA. JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW MUCH MARY HATES MICE.

SUSIE-Q, THE CAT, HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT TRAINER TO MARY AND I ABOUT CATS. IT DIDN’T TAKE HER LONG TO TEACH US WHAT GREAT PETS CATS CAN BE.

IN MARY’S RUNS TO THE LAUGHLIN LIBRARY I FOUND MYSELF PICKING UP THE CAT FANCY MAGAZINE EACH MONTH TO READ THE COVER STORIES ON THEIR SELECTED PURE BRED CAT OF THE MONTH. IN FACT I WAS SAVING PAW POINTS OFF OF THE LITTER BAGS TO GET MY OWN FREE SUBSCRIPTION AT HOME.

I’VE DEVELPOED AN INTEREST IN SPOTTED CATS, SAVANNAHS, BENGALS, AND OCICATS. ON THE INTERNET I’VE VISITED CATTERY WEBSITES FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, INTERESTING READING AND RESEARCH.

ON SUNDAY WE’RE OFF TO LAS VEGAS TO A CAT SHOW IN SEARCH OF SPOTTED CATS. I’VE BEEN TO HORSE SHOWS, DOG SHOWS, AND EVEN GOAT SHOWS, BUT THIS WILL BE MY FIRST CAT SHOW. STAYED TUNED.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

I quit smoking eight years ago today. After not smoking for eight years, I sincerely wish I could say it was 18, 28, or even 38 years ago that I quit but it's just 8. The headline news of the lung cancer/smoking connection was big news about the time I started smoking. The arrogance and immortality of youth made me just plain ignore that information.

Like many other smokers, I made the statement "well, we all have to die of something". Which is true we all die of something but sadly you don't just die. There is a process of dying and quite frankly dying of lung cancer is not a pleasant process. I heard one person say it was like suffocating in your own lungs. Doesn't that sound like fun??

Regrets?? Oh yes I have many and one of the biggest is that I EVER put a cigarette in my mouth. How stupid was that?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Jake,Laurel, and Annie came over to check the ice thickness for ice fishing. Lo. and behold, there is 4 inches! We can ice fish! Jake quickly drill the holes and set the tip-ups. Annie started watching for flags........

.....Then we hang out and wait for the fish to come. It this case she is literally hanging out from Grandpa Han's hands while she "bobs" for cheese and crackers...........

................once I got the glasses turned around the right way, I COULD SEE A FLAG!!............

.............you have to set the hook..........

.....and, PRESTO!, you have a fish, in this case a nice northern.................

....at 8 degrees with a stiff wind, it calculates into about a -15 wind-chill. Time for hands in pockets............

......so Annie hauls in the catch while Jake packs up the tip-ups............

........then Sam steals the fish...................

.....and Annie has to steal it back. Sorry Sam. Ice fishing can be a brutal reality.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

Ordinarily, I don't send you this stuff, but this is interesting, (For my brother, maybe for a holiday season blog). I don't know if you have heard of the "Flash mob" thing but it is a cell phone phenomenon where people text one another to be in certain place and time and spontaneously do bizarre things in a seemingly random fashion and cause a scene, then disappear leaving the crowd to scratch their heads. Many of the participants don't even know one another. Examples are on this youtube page.Anyway, the Hallelujah Chorus is a natural flash mob event, probably the best ever. A borderline mentally ill genius composer named Handel wrote this piece (called "The Messiah") in something like 17 days about 300 years ago. It is pure genious, one of the most creative and beautiful pieces ever written. It is the favorite of choirs and orchestras everywhere. It is a cult. Once you have done it as a musician, you forever have the right (and are encouraged to ) stand and join in in any performance you attend, when the Hallelujah Chorus comes. It is the final song in about a 2 hour extravaganza. Most groups never get good enough to do the whole thing, it is super difficult. I have done it twice, once with an orchestra, but only the easiest one third or so.Anyway, so you see, this flash mob is a spontaneous and mysterious event not entirely understood by it's audience and then suddenly the audience is invited to join in. There are three groups in the crowd. It is fun to watch and decide which group each person is in. The flash mobbers obviously know the music and are quite good. A second group has done it before and joins in, knowing or remembering their parts as by the cult tradition. The third group just gets swept along and sings "Hallelujah!". There may be a fourth group that just stands in wonder.It is wierd, but wonderful. It really catches the spirit of the season!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Wonder of wonders…..we were invited to a holiday party by our co-worker and friend Cindy. Cindy is from Bloomer, WI and we trade WISCONSIN treats back and forth when one or the other of us goes home or has visitors that bring goodies.

This is Cindy, her husband Ron, and Boo-boo. I think Susie is bigger than her dog.

This is Cindy and No-No (Noelle) another co-worker.

You wouldn’t know it by looking but No-No is busy mixing up mudslides…….she must have done a good job because they were yummy.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

We saw an ad in the newspaper for a live nativity scene at a local church. We decided to check it out. It would be a good opportunity for Grandma to get out and we had Annie for an afternoon as well. It started with a little coral full of sheep and a donkey.........

.........Annie charmed the Sheppards by telling them she was a Sheppard. They bought this obvious poppycock and awarded her with a Sheppard's staff.............

..............Also outside in the exhibit was the Bethlehem blacksmith. He made a door hook for Annie out of a large nail........

....it was a cool design for an exibit. They gave you a little bag of coins to "buy" things from the merchants in the ancient Bethlehem marketplace. The whole thing, by the way, was free. Here Annie is buying an egg in the market............

....this lady showed her how they made wool onto yarn.........

.....this girl was running a potter's wheel............

........This, of course, was what we came to see...........

.........afterward, we recounted the treasures we had bought including a wooden mallet, a staff, some spice sachets, a woven reed figurine, some wool yarn figure, and, of course, the door hook from the blacksmith. All in all an interesting holiday experience.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

THANKS UNCLE HANS, FOR THE LAST FOUR BLOGS ABOUT THANKSGIVING SPOONER STYLE. THEY MADE US A LITTLE HOME SICK AND WE SURE WISH WE COULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR THE FESTIVITIES.

SO WHEN ARE THE HAPPY CAMPERS COMING HOME? WELL, AS OF NOW, MARY PLANS TO BE HOME IN WISCONSIN FOR HER MOTHER’S 90TH BIRTHDAY IN MAY, AND WE BOTH HAVE TO RENEW OUR DRIVER’S LICENSES IN THE FALL OF 2011. BOTH TRIPS ARE A LONG WAY OFF AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

LIFE IN LAUGHLIN CONTINUES AT OUR SLOW PACE, WITH SUNDAY FOOTBALL BEING OUR MAIN SOCIAL ACTIVITY. IT’S THE SAME COUPLE OF TABLES OF VIKING FANS AND A TABLE OF PACKER FANS. AFTER THE GAME, IT’S “SEE YA NEXT WEEK”.

WORK IS SLOW, BUT HOPEFULLY WILL PICK UP AFTER THE HOLIDAYS AND THE REST OF THE SNOWBIRDS ARRIVE.

OUR COOKING PROJECTS HAVE BEEN CENTERED AROUND HOME MADE SOUPS, WITH CHICKEN NOODLE, SPLIT PEA, AND HAM AND BEAN BEING THE MOST RECENT.

SUSIE-Q THE CAT KEEPS US ENTERTAINED AND DIRECT TV FILLS IN THE REST OF TIME. NOT A WHOLE LOT TO BLOG ABOUT UNLESS YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT OUR SUNNY AND WARM WEATHER.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thanksgiving dinner, like all events on Cable Lake, ended up, late at night, in the garage, with cheap wine. Indoor fireworks lost it's popularity with the big night club fire that killed 100 people at a "Great White" concert a few years back. In Spooner, apparently, it's still cool............

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Over the years, Rechsteiner family get-togethers have been bizarre and unpredictable. Our Dad contended that without some sort of fun group activity, the visit just degenerates into bitching about one another" So we actively plan for some sort of "fun group activity". Often they involve animals, surgery, chain saws, snowmobiles, motorcycles, meat processing, or some you-name-it combination. This Thanksgiving, the idea came up to neuter a cat. Everyone (except the cat) thought this would be great. It all starts with a trained professional. Please don't try this at your house! (do it in the garage like we do).........

.....a complex surgery of this nature demands a highly trained and dedicated group of assistants. Here we have surgical technicians, Carol and Renee. Any cat reading this blog should be afraid.............

.....the procedure itself is simpler than I had imagined. First (after anesthesia, of course), the fur is removed from the scrotum.......

...........here you see the exposed scrotum in a picture which my camera failed to completely record for some reason (duh, like common decency?). OK, in the name of common decency, I won't show you the two small incisions made, one in each side. I also won't show you Neil expressing or squeezing out the testicle and then ripping it out. I won't show you Renee jumping on the chance to tear the second one out, I won't show you the laughing gleeful faces of all the women in the room. My, my. so much to not show.............

...............I am not above, however, showing the techs, the testicles, and the glee. (don't these two look so, so much like Thing 1 and Thing 2?)....................

.....here they are in close-up along with the fur that was removed...........

.............the kitty was also due for shots, which were given under anesthesia............

........most university hospitals have a "theatre" operating room where many people can observe the surgeon at work.

We have the garage ……

.......and the cat came through with flying colors.........................

............which was very good. It meant that we could get back to bitching about one another!

Friday, December 3, 2010

There is a long history in the Rechsteiner family of not celebrating a holiday on the actual day and Thanksgiving was no exception. This is Nov 28 as we missed by only a few days. Here is the KP section and Carol looks on. Actual, Carol was a driving force in bringing the whole meal together for halftime of the game, which is a very narrow window for a turkey.

.....Jake got elected "carver guy" and got to use Renee's new electric knife.........

.....as usual, the dinner was buffet..........

.....Carver Guy was hopeful that the Packers would beat Atlanta, but they did not..........

The fare was vintage with turkey, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, fresh-baked buns, cranberry sauce (Grandma made it!), pumpkin and cherry pie with real whipped cream. Never have so many enjoyed a halftime so much!.......

.....these are the "Buns Girls" Nice Buns!........

...........Rex called just as we were headed for the table, giving the cooks an extra five minutes to get the thing together.......

.....I was thankful that Rex called and sad that they could not be there. But no Rechsteiner is complete without some bizarre project or entertainment. To actually see chainsawing, champagne indoor fireworks, or the cat neuter in the garage...........

THE HAPPY CAMPERS

WE STARTED THIS BLOG IN THE SPRING OF 2006 TO KEEP OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS "UP TO SPEED" ON OUR DAILY LIVES, LIVING IN A 34 FOOT CAMPER. WE USE THE "HODGEPODGE" APPROACH TO BLOGGING AND INCLUDE WHAT WE'RE THINKING, GUEST ENTRIES, DAILY LIFE, CASINO STORIES, COOKING STORIES, TRAVEL STORIES, AND A GENEROUS PINCH OF BULLSHIT.MARY AND I SHARE IN THE WRITING OF THE BLOG, AND REX ALWAYS TYPES IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, SO YOU CAN TELL WHOM IS WRITING.

OUR WEATHER

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By Uncle Hans

BLOG ENTRIES WRITTEN BY "UNCLE HANS", ARE WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER HANS. HANS LOVES TO WRITE WHEN SO MOVED AND HAS JOINED OUR "TEAM" SO TO SPEAK. THANKS FOR THE BLOG ENTRIES "UNCLE HANS"!!!

Uncle Hans and Renee

REX AND UNCLE HANS

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